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Fast Facts
Elementary School
Children can start school (see Registering a Child) at the age of three if their fourth birthday falls before the end of December. Most children spend two years in junior and senior kindergarten before starting full-time school in Grade 1.
Some Kingston schools offer half-day kindergarten programs — children attend in the morning or afternoon but not both — while others provide full-day kindergarten every second day. Some French schools provide full-day kindergarten every day of the week. Many schools provide programs for students before and after regular classes to accommodate the schedules of working parents.
Full-day kindergarten is being introduced across the province. By 2015, all children aged four and five will be attending full-day kindergarten in Ontario. A typical day in elementary school starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
Children leave elementary school after Grade 8 to attend secondary school. Some students leave Grade 6 to attend an intermediate school for Grades 7 and 8.
Families who want their children to become proficient in French have the option of sending their child to a French-immersion public or Catholic school. French-speaking families can send their children to a public or Catholic French school.
For More Information
The guide has information on getting ready for school, learning English, school procedures, education policies, report cards, parent-teacher interviews, provincial testing, and helping your child adjust to a new school. Available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Croatian, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Pilipino (Tagalog), Pashtu, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu.
The guide has information on getting ready for school, learning English, school procedures, education policies, report cards, parent-teacher interviews, provincial testing, and helping your child adjust to a new school. Available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Croatian, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Pilipino (Tagalog), Pashtu, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu.
A guide to finding schools in Ontario that will offer full-day kindergarten, including before- and after-school programs.
